In a long and intense match with many nailbiter moments, the Dos Pueblos High School boys’ tennis team, ranked No. 10 in Division I, fell to the Ventura Cougars, ranked No. 7, losing by one game in a 9-9 match.
Everyone from both teams played with so much heart and enthusiasm. Not only were the head coaches close friends, but so were some of the players.
In singles, Sasha Gryaznov (No. 36) took DP’s only two sets, from Michael Lowe (No. 36, B16s) and Sean Levesque (No. 20, B18s), then battled bravely in his long set in the last round with Brendan McClain (No. 3 B16s).
In doubles, the Chargers played without starter Andy Silverstein, away for robotics, but came away with seven sets. Austin Cano and Eric Katz never let their momentum drop and swept, losing only seven games. Sean Handley and Eric Zmolek took two solid sets before succumbing to the top Ventura team of Bobby Oldt and Jacob Rucker. That top team gave DP’s top team of Christian Edstrom and Malcolm Sutton a tough run. The set lasted for well more than an hour and there were many incredible rallies. Everyone else did his best to win games.
In singles, Richard Cheng took three games from Sean Levesque.
Way to go, Chargers! Dos Pueblos, 10-5 overall and 2-3 in league, will host Santa Ynez on Friday.
Dos Pueblos Singles
Sasha Gryaznov 2-1
Richard Cheng 0-3
Peter Shao 0-2
Robert Laskin 0-1
Dos Pueblos Doubles
Christian Edstrom/Malcolm Sutton 2-1
Austin Cano/Eric Katz 3-0
Sean Handley/Eric Zmolek 2-1
Ventura Singles
Michael Lowe 2-1
Brendan McClain 3-0
Sean Levesque 2-1
Ventura Doubles
Bobby Oldt/Jacob Rucker 2-1
Brandon Bushnell/Parker Harris 0-3
Collin Masiel/Connor Dann 0-3
— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High School.